jojo_k
Written on Sep 23, 2020
Mercenary Kate Daniels must risk all to protect everything she holds dear in this epic, can't-miss entry in the thrilling #1 New York Times bestselling urban-fantasy series.
Kate has come a long way from her origins as a loner taking care of paranormal problems in post-Shift Atlanta. She's made friends and enemies. She's found love and started a family with Curran Lennart, the former Beast Lord. But her magic is too strong for the power players of the world to let her be.
Kate and her father, Roland, currently have an uneasy truce, but when he starts testing her defenses again, she knows that sooner or later a confrontation is inevitable. The Witch Oracle has begun seeing visions of blood, fire, and human bones. And when a mysterious box is delivered to Kate's doorstep, a threat of war from the ancient enemy who nearly destroyed her family, she knows her time is up.
Kate Daniels sees no other choice but to combine forces with the unlikeliest of allies. She knows betrayal is inevitable. She knows she may not survive the coming battle. But she has to try.
For her child.
For Atlanta.
For the world.
- ISBN10 0425270726
- ISBN13 9780425270721
- Publish Date 7 May 2019 (first published 28 August 2018)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc
- Imprint Ace Books
- Format Hardcover (US Tall Rack)
- Pages 448
- Language English
- URL https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425270721
Reviews
celinenyx
Written on Apr 8, 2020
booksandcats
Written on Jan 27, 2020
But it is really helpfull to have read Iron and Magic (Hugh's book) first, cause for one otherwise his redemption Arch is highly unlikely and unsatisfying and two, the main antagonist is introduced there, so you have more time to get to know him.
I love the addition of Conlan, he is fun and seeing Kate as a Mother is amazing and the conversations and interactions that go on are hilarious.
Conlan hugged my neck. “Bad.”
Razer was screaming because Curran had pulled his left arm off.
“Yes, bad. Look at Daddy ripping the bad man to pieces. Go Daddy!”
Conlan clapped his hands.
What I also liked in a maybe weird kind of way, that not all Characters make it out of the final fight alive, and not just some unimportant Characters, but at least one that we have got to known for pretty much the whole series. It just makes it more realistic and shows how high the stakes actually were.
For me, an absolutely satisfying ending to one of the best urban-fantasy series out there. This series was my introduction to the writing pair of Ilona Andrews and I can't wait to read the other books they have written and are going to write.
MurderByDeath
Written on Oct 4, 2018
mitabird
Written on Sep 16, 2018
When I'm reading an on-going series, I tend not to read the synopsis of each book (as I'm going to read the story, regardless). While it's not made as clear, I was disappointed that the main enemy was Neig and not her father. I felt like the story meandered too long trying to figure out what Neig was and how to defeat him. There was so much focus of this showdown between Kate and her father, and it kind of was an aside to the battle against Neig. Am I happy that Kate didn't kill her father? Yes, it's something she doesn't have to live with. I just wish it had been more epic.
My main issue was the apparent lack of trust between Kate and Curran. Instead of talking with each other about their fears and coming up with possible solutions to combat her father, they both made decisions that could have backfired badly. I felt it was a bit convenient that Curran was eating gods so he could save Kate from herself. It undermines her choices but things could have been avoided if they just had a conversation. I found the whole thing trite and it did not make me happy with either of them. I'm glad most of the crew made it out alive, but with the ways things were left off, it feels unresolved to me and was not a very satisfying conclusion to an otherwise fantastic series.
Quirky Cat
Written on Sep 6, 2018
But of course, I caved and ended up reading the entire thing the following day, and I couldn’t be happier. Magic Triumphs is everything I could have hoped for in the conclusion of the series, and then some. I’m still sad that the series is over…but I’m feeling more at peace with it than I had been before I started reading.
Admittedly it helps knowing that this isn’t actually the end to the world that’s been established in the Kate Daniels series. We know that Hugh will be getting more books (at least two more, if I understand correctly). Plus I’d like to think that they’d continue the Grey Wolf series, even if so far it only has a novella. There’s a couple other series that I’d say are sure to be picked up, but since they’re hinted at later in the novel, I can’t really theorize about them here. Just know that there’s more to come.
And then there are all the other characters that could be picked up for their own series. The potential is limitless. And theoretically in some of those stories we’ll see Kate, Curran, Conlan, and all the other characters we fell in love with. So it isn’t really a goodbye, is it?
Still, even with the happy reminder that the world will continue in other series…the fact does remain that this one is ending. I loved this series so much. I still love this series. It was the one that really got me into Urban Fantasy (well, admittedly I had been into it before then, but I didn’t know the genre name at the time). It was my fall back when I needed something to cheer me up, or distract me, or even just for entertainment. I loved the characters, the world building, and the lore that was put into it. It’s been ten years, and this world still enchants me. I’m sure in ten more, that will still hold true.
More than that though – I love the community it created. If you’ve ever looked up the fandom for something you love, you know you’re taking a risk. Either they’re the most amazing and welcoming community ever, or they’re all full of venom. Or at least that’s what it feels like. The fandom revolving around Kate Daniels, and really all the worlds that Ilona and Andrew Gordon have created, is full of truly awesome people. Sure, there are a few bad eggs in there (like the ones constantly harassing the author lords for free work, forgetting simple facts like they are human), but on the whole they’re fantastic. Finding a fandom like that to join can really amplify an author’s works, so I’m always really happy to see that happen.
So now, before I begin my review, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to Ilona and Andrew Gordon, for bringing us this brilliant world. Thanks to the fans who bought the books and helped support them on this journey. And thanks to the fandom, for being awesome.
Warnings first: A couple of the characters (not Kate) are having issues conceiving, and express understandable frustration and devastation about this fact. One of them is a well known and liked character, and you can feel her pain radiating off the pages. I know that this sort of depiction can be very upsetting for other women experiencing the same thing, so I wanted to give everyone a heads up.
There aren’t enough words to express how I feel about the conclusion of the Kate Daniels series. I truly loved it, and am sad to see it go. That being said, I’m oddly thrilled that the authors made the choice to end it when the time was right. There is nothing worse than seeing a series drag on beyond it’s time (we can all think of a series or ten where that happened). So I respect the decision made, and in my own way I appreciate it.
Magic Triumphs didn’t waste any time getting into the thick of the plot. Before I knew what was happening, we were back into the world of Kate dealing with horrible situations in order to help save her city. I’ll admit that I’m constantly impressed with Ilona and Andrew Gordon’s ability to up the ante. Every book I’m convinced I’ve seen the worst bad guy yet. And then there’s Roland. I never thought I’d see somebody I loathed more than him…and yet, that’s no longer the case.
Speaking of Roland, I love the way they’re constantly flipping the narrative with his character. It shows how masterful he is with manipulation, and more than that, how complex the situation involving him really is. Roland was never going to be just another enemy that Kate had to defeat. He was always something bigger, and a huge part of that has to do with the fact that he’s her father. There’s just no hiding from that fact, and Kate certainly never tried to deny that the situation was complicated, as were her feelings about him. It was all very well done.
There was one thing that happened in particular that I really want to give a shout out for. At one point more than halfway through the book – Endometriosis was mentioned. One of the characters has it (well, a version of it – her shifter abilities sort of altered it). Having Endometriosis myself, I have to say that it meant so much to have it mentioned in a series like this. It’s really hard to get people talking about diseases like this, so anything to normalize it and start a conversation is huge and gratefully accepted. And yes, this does tie back to the warning I mentioned earlier.
Being that this was the end of the series, there was quite a lot going on, understandably. Still, I feel like a lot of effort was put in to make sure as many characters as possible had their moment, or at least were involved in some way. My favorite example would have to be Roman and the role he played, more accurately the lectures he kept giving Kate. Those moments really touched me. Then there’s Christopher, Barbaras, the whole clan heavy (who got varying degrees of mentions), Andrea, Julie, Saiman, etc. And if a character didn’t actually appear in the novel itself, they were likely mentioned. It really helped to make the series feel more wrapped up.
I was concerned at a few different points, and not for the reason you’d think. I loved the idea of introducing a new antagonist right at the end, I really did. I was a little worried that said antagonist would kill off Roland, and thus take away the resolution that’s been looming for so long. I don’t know why I worried though, the authors have never failed me before, and they didn’t this time either. I’m really happy with how the battle was resolved, and in particular how Roland was handled. I won’t give it away here, but I feel like what happened was more perfect than I could have ever hoped for.
I know many will disagree with me, but I’m also okay with the number of characters that died. We needed to have some loss in order to increase the impact of the battle and the conclusion of the series, but at the same time it wasn’t ‘rocks fall, everyone dies.’
So on the whole, am I happy that the series is over? Not exactly, but I agree with the decision the authors made, and I’m happy with how they chose to resolve everything. I’m confident that we’ll be seeing Kate, Curran, and Conlan in the many planned spin offs, and even if that doesn’t happen…well I think I’ll still be okay with it.
Okay, now that I’ve finished talking about Magic Triumphs, let’s take a minute to talk about all the new series in the Kate Daniels world. Like I mentioned above, we already know that Hugh will be getting two more books (yay!). Additionally the amazing author lords have indicated their willingness to write a free Christopher and Barbaras novella. It hadn’t occurred to me that this was a possibility, so I am now over the moon about this.
As if that wasn’t enough to look forward to (because seriously, all that is already so amazing) there may be an extended epilogue to cover everything that didn’t fit into the book. Considering how massive Magic Triumphs was, I’m not surprised that they have more to say on the matter. It’ll be nice to have a firmer resolution, but at the same time I’m content. So I can wait.
The last confirmed spin off (at least, I believe it’s confirmed – if it isn’t and I got somebody’s hopes up, sorry!) is Julie’s trilogy. I don’t know if this will include Derek, or not. He could continue in the Grey Wolf series, or not at all. It’ll probably depend on what creative juices are leftover after this crazy long run. Still, a Julie trilogy! That would be amazing. I love the idea of giving Julie some time on her own to grow up a bit, to come into her own person without the influence of all the other characters we’ve grown so used to seeing.
I know people are speculating about another Jim and Dali series or novella, but I think that one could possibly be wrapped up either in the extended epilogue and/or in Hugh’s novels. It’s hard to be certain though.
In the meantime, I’m just going to try and not think about all those potential series too much. It’s probably best that way – so it doesn’t drive me bonkers. I’ll just be pleasantly surprised if and when anything new and shiny drops.
EBookObsessed
Written on Sep 1, 2018
Ilona Andrews created a fascinating world for us where magic washes over the land like waves at the beach. When technology is up, phone works, cars drive and scary things with claws and teeth go to sleep, but when the magic is up, technology is what goes to sleep and those scary things comes crawling out to get you.
When we first met Kate Daniels she was simply a merc, trying to keep her head down and stay on the move so that her father, Roland, never find out about her. But over the last few years, Kate has made friends and put down some roots. She has fallen in love with the Beast Lord of Atlanta who reigned supreme over the shifters to ruling over Atlanta to protect it from her father. Now the lonely merc has become a friend, wife and mother. The woman who was raised to keep her head down will have to fight to protect the life she has created but the biggest question will be…from who?
Kate and Curran have been gearing up these last few years for a winner-take-all war against Roland. They have forged strong alliances with the witches, the shifters, the People and the Mercs, and some not so stong alliances with the Knights of the Order…okay, the Order hates Kate, but enemy of my enemy and all that.
Yet while Kate is waiting for her father to make a move to steal her son, neighborhoods full of people are disappearing…and the bodies are being dumped en masse. Kate is angry that Roland would attack the people in her territory. Then she begins to remember one important fact… Roland wouldn’t commit mass slaughter. Not at these levels. Roland wants humans around to worship him. What good is taking Kate’s territory if there is no one left to cheer and worship?
Kate has been so focused on Roland that she didn’t realize there is another threat on the field.
And this someone has Kate a present but is it from an admirer who wants to court her, or a declaration of war? She has no idea, but something about it is putting the shifters on edge.
Kate will need more help than her friends can provide but will approaching her father be the deal with the devil that will require a payment too dear?
I am so sad that Ilona and Andrew Gordon, better known as Ilona Andrews, decided to say goodbye to Kate Daniels and friends. I really enjoyed the stories, the creativity of the world building and all of the characters. But if you are going to bring the series like this to an end, they obviously decided it was time to Go Big or Go Home!
I am going to miss Kate and company but Magic Triumphs is in incredible story and if you do have to end a series, this is the way to take a final bow.
Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See more at EBookObsessed.com
Melanie
Written on Aug 14, 2018
I can’t believe it is over. I think I started reading this series in 2010. I started off reading it in paperback from my library. Then in 2013, I found the audiobooks and I’ve been audio only for this series ever since. I’ve done multiple relistens of this series (the most recent starting this year, where I listened to the entire series building up to this final release). I wanted to spend as much time with these characters I could, before it was all over.
So, Kate’s father isn’t the only issue she’s facing, but she knows it is looming on the horizon. But first things first, Kate must protect her loved ones from the immediate danger. Kate isn’t the best political type of person, but she knows that she will need the help of everyone she knows to defeat this battle. She even calls a truce with her father to have him help her, because without him, she has no chance of winning.
This was a great wrap-up to the series. While, I’m sad to see it end, I think Ilona Andrews writing team did a great job (as if there was ever any doubt) with ending this series in a way that will keep their fans happy. Kate and Curran finally get their happy-ever-after. I liked that we got to spend time with most of the characters that I’ve grown to love across the 10 novels (plus novellas, Curran POVs, Andrea’s book, Derek’s book and Hugh’s book, not to mention all the short stories that they’ve provided to their fans over the years).
Speaking of Hugh’s book, you will want to have read the first book, Iron & Magic, before reading this one. There are things that take place in Hugh’s book that affect this story and will spoil Iron & Magic for you.
While it is sad to see the end of Kate Daniels series, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of this world. I know we have at least one more Hugh book in The Iron Covenant series (and I’m pretty sure more than one). I hope that we will get more of Derek in the Grey Wolf series. They also left room for a few other characters to have spinoffs (I think they will pick one of the two characters I’m thinking of and go from there). Oh, and they’ve mentioned a Roman series. No matter where Ilona and Gordon go with their writing after the end of Kate’s series, I know I want be along for the ride.
Narration
Renee Raudman continues to nail this series. I don’t think there is anything I can say that I haven’t said before for her narration. She does a great job with all of the voices. OMG, Conlan was just too cute for words. I just loved her voice for him. It was perfect. If you haven’t tried this series (or Renee Raudman with any other series), you’re really missing out.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Aug 10, 2018
If you haven't yet listened to Iron and Magic, The Iron Covenant, #1, I recommend you do so before Magic Triumphs. This story will spoil some of that book for you.
There are so many things I want to talk about, but alas spoilers darling. So instead I will tell you that part of the book focuses on Kate, Curran and their family life. That a new threat has arrived in Atlanta. That the Witch Oracles visions show a great battle and that Kate and Curran are each preparing in their own way for it. Gads, the feels in this from happiness to nail-biting suspense followed by tears. When I wasn't listening, I was thinking about the story. Until I stood with my headphones listening intently and holding my breath as the outside world slipped away.
Epic battles, unholy alliances, betrayals, sacrifices, and moments of humor and love made this one of the most addictive tales I have ever listened to. The Andrews continue to amaze me and my five cups of coffee feel wholly inadequate. Many beloved characters were present, and they treated us to another POV, one I loved and wouldn't mind more of. From, the pacing to the fully developed ending I could not find a single flaw. For me it couldn't have unfolded more perfectly.
Renée Raudman is one of my favorite narrators. She narrates almost all of Andrews books. Her ability to capture not only the emotions of the characters but to give voice to so many astounds me. She helps to bring the urgency of the battle scenes to life, and the emotions she pours into these characters is pure joy to the ears. For me, she has taken this epic tale to the next level. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Linda
Written on Mar 19, 2013